Terrific short break in Devon

All good things must end! Following a dash west to our niece's wedding, Linda and I took a day to 'clean up' the Devon specialities. Labrador Bay and Dawlish Warren gave us good views of a dozen or more Cirl Buntings, while Dunsford Bridge added Dipper, bonus Grey Wagtail and a flyover pair of Goosanders. The walk up to West Kennet barrow was enlivened by some 'frisky' bullocks and a female (or juvenile) Red-footed Falcon, as well as Red Kites, a Sparrowhawk and several Buzzards

A last walk down to Bowling Green Marsh completed  our couple of days away with very distant views of an Osprey and Tree Pipit, as well as closer ones of Curlew Sandpiper, Greenshank and squillions of Little Egrets,

Glorious Bustards! A few more

Here are some more from Salisbury Plain: several males, a female with a juvenile and part of a drove of twenty two birds!

Lucky Bustards!

 A dash down to the West Country for a family wedding gave Linda and me the chance to revisit some of the UK's finest prehistoric monuments: Silbury Hill, West Kennet Long Barrow and Sanctuary, Avebury and Stonehenge. Stonehenge is beautifully presented for tourists these days, but at a  humungous price: £75 for a couple! Fortunately Linda and I are members of English Heritage, so entrance - and the bus ride to the stones - was free!

As we were bussing back to the visitor centre we spotted four Great Bustards some distance from the road. We trotted back and grabbed some dodgy smudges using a 80 - 135 TP. Other birds we came across included Peregrine, Red Kite, Buzzard and White Wagtail.

Resident Hummer!

This beautiful little fellow has been visiting the Buddleia off and on all morning: he's been doing this for about a fortnight now, occasionally with a larger companion.

Skuared!

Norman's 'little' brother Laurie joined Norman, Brian and me for a run up to the North Coast. First stop was Gramborough Hill, which held just a few migrants: Wheatears and Whinchats were the most interesting. Offshore a Fulmar sheared past, while inland a Gannet headed east over Cookies!

A move to Cley was fairly unrewarding, with just a few Greenshanks and Dunlin before coffee time. Hot news (!) about a Greenish Warbler at Weybourne sent us eastwards, but the bird was long gone before we arrived. We were delighted to watch an Arctic Skua fly in off the North Sea, being mobbed by BH Gulls: once it had beaten a couple up, it settled on the shingle for photos!

Final stop was Kelling Quags, where a brisk walk and a little patience yielded non-photographic views of the reported Barred Warbler: we watched it fly from one bush to the next on five or six occasions.

Even closer! The Moon and Jupiter

Last night at around 10.00pm (just before the clouds rolled over!) Jupiter and the Moon were still close together in the south eastern sky: a magnificent sight for those of us 'into' planetary astronomy! My favourite crater Petavius was in good relief too...

First cut since the drought!

Today I gave our little lawn its first cut since July: it's been parched and brown until the recent rain. In just a couple of days, however, the grass (and clover!) grew three or four inches and greened up beautifully. However: I'd be quite happy if I didn't have to mow again until the Spring!

The Moon and Jupiter snuggle up!

Last night the Moon rose in the east with Jupiter close by to the north. Tonight - if it's clear - they'll be even closer: definitely worth a look. Jupiter's four largest satellites are easily visible with binoculars.

Buzzard: new kid on the block!

Another well-marked Common Buzzard has started displaying over the garden: it's been around for a week or so, occasionally interacting with the 'regulars'. I wonder if it's one of the offspring of last year's very pale male...